Melancholy
by Jazz WindField
Summary: Six years after her adventure as 'Fancy Lala', 15 year old Shinohara Miho is still unable to leave her past in the entertainment world as it is. Yearning for those days to be back within her grasp, what happens when her sister decides to intervene?
1. Lingering in the Past

Title: Melancholy

"…Itsumo, _UNBARANCE_. Motome to te de…."

Looking in the direction of the roof balcony that Miho's room had access to, Chisa frowned a little as she muttered softly to herself, "Miho's at it again… This is the fifth time this week that she's singing that song."

Chisa wasn't blind, nor was she oblivious to the changes her younger sister has undergone these past few years, despite however Miho may think. Between a career-orientated mother, and a father who couldn't even look after himself half the time, Chisa has learnt how to handle both herself, and her younger sister pretty well, if she could say so herself.

Ever since Miho's 9th birthday, she has been getting a lot more mature, much quicker than anyone has expected. If Chisa was asked to point out the moment the changes started happening… She would have to say that it started around the time when Miho requested father to open a bank account for her.

A child whose sole goal in life was to become a comic artist asking to become- somewhat- financially independent? If that wasn't weird, then she didn't know what was. Too bad she just brushed that little fact aside when the incident occurred….

"Hmm… I wonder…" Chisa's face broke into a grin as she furiously dug into her backpack, knowing full well that there was a piece of paper that may hold the answers to her sister's problem.

Uncharacteristically tossing out her pencil case, notes and books carelessly all over her room floor, she gave an exclamation of glee as she finally found what she was looking for.

Written on the piece of paper were four words printed in bold.

'**LME's New Talent Competion' **

* * *

"…No ta ite ru no ni." Miho ended the first song she ever sang as Lala, heart still aching for everything she left behind the moment she lost that bag.

"Pigu… Mogu… I wonder how are you doing right now? Is the person taking care of you feeding you right? Especially you Mogu, since we both know how much of a glutton you can be. Don't we, Pigu?"

Miho whispered to the setting sun, the icy breeze carrying her voice, hopefully, to somewhere where it can reach her little dinosaur friends.

Standing on the still moving swing, Miho shut her eyes as she recalled all the times she spent with Pigu and Mogu, as Fancy Lala with all the others from Lyrical Productions… Acting… Singing… Dancing…

Just so that she would never be able to convince herself that this was all a dream.

"I'm almost 15 now… What should I do…?" Miho asked the empty surroundings around her. The handphone given to her by Ms Haneishi lying on the seat opposite the one she sat on just now.

Surprisingly, the phone still worked. This meant that Ms Haneishi was still footing the bills out of the bank account Lala gave to her so many years ago. Miho hadn't dared to look at the amount in the account, assuming that it was sufficient to pay the phone bills for the past few years… And hopefully, a few years more.

That relic from the past was one of the three items left from her adventure as Fancy Lala, the other two being the hat given to her by Mister Mysterious, and the number Komi-san passed to her that day at Harajuku when he did her hair.

Miho smiled.

Despite all the pain it has brought her, she would have never changed her decision to step into the showbiz world as 'Fancy Lala' almost a full 6 years back. To her, those times were something that could never be changed for anything in the world.

* * *

Author's Note: Hope you like it. ^^ With all the spirits that Kyoko-chan has each time Sho appears... Well, I don't think a 9 year old girl changing into a 16 year old one is that far-fetched. =P If this will be expanded into a multi-chaptered really has to depend on my schedule, so I'll leave as a one-shot for now. =D

_**Edit 28/6/2011: I've finally gotten around to expanding this little ficlet to a three-shot. There should be a sequel in a works where it'll continue off the last chapter. Hope you guys and girls will enjoy it! =)**_


	2. The Road Paved

Title: Melancholy

"Chisa! What are you doing!" Miho cried out as her sister continued to drag her across town, after convincing her to dress up nicely.

"Come on, Miho! It'll be good for you. I promise." Chisa turned back with a smile and a reassuring wink.

Somehow, that doesn't reassure her at all.

"You haven't even told me what we are going to do onee-san!"

"Oh, it's not for me, just for you."

Arriving at the front of a gigantic building, a pit of dread blossomed at the bottom of Miho's stomach.

"Hurry up! The audition is about to start!"

Miho's eyes widened in shock, "What do you _mean by AUDITION?"_

* * *

"What in the world possessed you to do such a thing Chisa! " Miho cried out as she was involuntarily dragged to the dressing room for all audition participants by her annoying sister.

Looking her little sister in the eye, Chisa's own orbs started to water… While her lips begun to tremble ever so slightly. "Please, Miho. Everyone is so worried… You always hole yourself up there and started singing… We thought that this audition would do you some good. So please, at least give it a shot?"

Trying her best to look everywhere but her sister's eyes, Miho proceeded to ignore her, or at least she tried to do so. As her eyes were wandering across the room, it caught the attention of one Tsuruga Ren, a famous actor acting in latest TV drama, Tsukinomori.

Miho involuntarily let out a squeak in surprise when he gave a smile in her direction before walking out with a person she assumed to be his manager. Her cheeks burned red, but somehow, she felt that he still couldn't compare to her childhood idol, Aikawa Hiroya.

Shaking out of her current train of thoughts, Miho turned her head upwards again, only to catch the puppy-dog eyes her sister was still directing towards her.

At that moment, Miho could just feel her resolve weakening by the millisecond.

"Fine! I'll do it." Shooting a slight glare towards her sister, she warned darkly. "But this had better be the last time, got it Chisa?"

"_Hai!" _Chisa was just glad their plan worked.

"By the way, is there any contract that comes with this audition?"

"Why? Planning on winning it already?" Chisa teased her younger sister, well aware of the few glares directed at them from the participants who heard it.

Miho grinned.

"Naturally." Her competitive spirit seemed to have been ignited by the prospect of singing in front of an audience once again.

"Well, they will offer the top two participants or so a singing contract with them, but I'm not too sure for how long though…"

"Oh." Even after her disappearance as Fancy Lala and the severing of all ties to that name, she had always wanted to re-join Lyrical Productions, regardless of how naïve that dream may look like to others around her.

In a way, Miho felt that if she ever stepped back into the entertainment industry, she at least owed them that. To the people who made the most significant impact on her during her childhood.

Taking in her sister's pensive look, Chisa sighed and prayed that this would turn out for the best. "Miho, you have to go select the song you are going to sing for the auditions now."

"Ah…? Oh! Yes!"

Miho pushed that train of thought to the back of her mind, at least for the moment. For now, she was about to sing in front of an audience as Shinohara Miho, and not Fancy Lala for the first time in her life.

The rest could wait.

* * *

"Participant number 46, please step out onto the stage."

Taking a deep breath, Miho smiled at her sister before walking out onto the stage.

Making her way to the center stage, she gazed at the panel of judges who were supposed to be judging her today. She recognized a few from the news, the director of LME, a famous vocals teacher, a producer she had briefly met when she was still Fancy Lala, and two others.

Removing the microphone from the stand, she grasped it and introduced herself as the many other participants before her had done.

"I'm Shinohara Miho, age 14. I'll be singing 'Transparence by Fancy Lala' and I hope you'll give me your guidance!" She bowed as the music started playing.

The words flew from her lips with surprising ease, with each syllable sung; Miho felt the sadness and regret she carried over the past few years subside…

Her hands begun to move to the beat of the first song she had sung, recalling the memories of a 9 year old in a 16 year old body. Performing and singing.

Takarada Lory's face initially showed a frown, but as the song progressed, his eyes started to shine with a light that usually only appeared when he found a new gem to polish.

"…No ta ite ru no ni." Breathing out the last vestiges of the song, Miho reopened her eyes and gave a deep bow to the judges before moving off stage.

What greeted her was the shocked look on Chisa's face, her arms slack at her sides and staring at her little sister in unbridled shock.

"Chisa? Are you alright?" Miho waved her hand in front of her sister's face. Grinning, she tugged on her arm, pulling her further backstage.

"That… Was really great, Miho." Chisa finally managed to regain her senses, and took a deep breath. "Where did you learn how to sing like that?"

'_What I heard echoing from the balcony on those evenings couldn't even compare to what I've just heard. It's as if… It was really Fancy Lala performing in front of me again. Just like that last concert... But it couldn't be… right?' _

Chisa looked at Miho, unsure what to think of her sister who suddenly seemed so unknown to her.

"Eh? Oh… You know how I collected those videos of those singers? I practiced, really hard…" Miho whispered the last part, her eyes regaining the sad sheen it always had when she was reminded of her past.

Slinging her arm over her little sister, Chisa couldn't help but rubs her knuckles across Miho's nicely arranged hair, earning a mock-enraged '_Hey_' from the person in question. "Now, don't you dare to look so down, what do you say to us going out to WacDonalds for lunch?"

"Your treat?" Miho perked up, looking pleadingly at her sister.

Looking down on Miho, Chisa just sighed exasperatedly, inwardly glad that she wasn't moping around anymore. "Yeah, yeah, you brat."

* * *

Once again in the oh-so-familiar position on the swing, Miho whispered against the breeze, "Pigu, Mogu… Would you two still be proud of me?"

Her hands clenched around the chains holding up the swing. "I… I went for the auditions for LME. It was the first time since _then_ that I actually performed in front of an audience."

She brought her trembling hands to the front of her face, "I… didn't realize it before, but I missed it _so much_… The sensation of performing in front of an audience… To actually give your best performance because you don't want to let them down—"

"_How could I have forgotten that…?_"

Tears flowed unbidden down her cheeks, its trail shimmering under the light of the setting sun.

* * *

A/N: After almost 2 years of not writing anything, I'm finally back! ...Somewhat =D

Here you go, Melancholy(Expanded) part 2 of 3. Hope this lives up to your expectation! The third part is already written and waiting to be published in my computer. So I'll be working on my Hikaru no Go fic next, as well as a sequel for this if time allows.

Same as always, please review! Suggestions or criticisms are always welcome!


	3. The First Step is Always the Hardest

Chapter 2: The First Step is Always the Hardest

That evening up on the roof kept playing in her mind, Miho sighed at the first rays of the rising sun seeped into her room. She knew that it was not good to keep lingering in the past, yet, some part of her is still unwilling to let go of the fact that Fancy Lala was someone that she no longer is.

Even so, she was glad that her sister forced her to participate in that audition. After all, it was then that she finally found the direction that her life has been lacking ever since she made Pigu and Mogu attempt her selfish request.

'I wonder if Mr Mysterious had always known that my life would lead to this when he first gave me the eggs?' Miho mused even as she changed into her school uniform, getting herself ready for school.

Making her way down the steps, she spotted the rest of the family already in the kitchen. "Good morning!"

It was when she took her first step into the kitchen that her mother and sister finally looked up and noticed her attire.

"Miho! What are you _wearing_?"

"Did you forget that today is the day of the second round of the auditions?"

A heated exclamation from a sister and her mother's calm question hit her simultaneously.

'…Oh.' Miho could only scratch her head sheepishly, "I forgot."

Backing out from the kitchen, where her sister seems to be going through a panic attack – it seems that Chisa was a lot more concerned with the upcoming audition that she was – she yelled as she took two steps at a time up the stairs, "Give me a minute! I'll go change immediately!"

Back downstairs, her father could only shake her head at his youngest daughter antics while her mother continued to calmly sip her coffee.

"Mother! How can you be so calm?" Chisa turned to her mother angrily. "Miho actually forgot that today was the second round of auditions!"

"Relax Chisa," a soft reprimand came from the other end of the table, "Don't forget that you were the one who signed your younger sister up for the audition in the first place. Unwillingly, I might add."

"But it's nice having her so energetic again, isn't it darling?" Mamiko said to her family, a tiny smile on lingering on the edge of her lips.

* * *

"Miho, are you feeling nervous?" Mamiko looked at her youngest, well aware of how she reacted to strangers when she was younger.

Chisa looked at her sister who was dressed in a simple pullover jacket paired with a short skirt. She was tempted to simply pull her sister into her room and dress her up herself when she saw what Miho came back down wearing.

Shaking her head, Miho answered, "I'm ok," Grasping her sister's palm in one hand, and her mother's in another, she gave both a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't worry, I'll be ok. Promise!" Miho gave the two a grin before stepping into the audition room.

Entering the room, the first thing she noticed was the number of contestants left. Before, there were over a hundred of them competing for the same contract that was offered by LME, now, in just the second around, there were only 20 left.

Making her way to a corner of the room, Miho was well aware of all the dark glares and curious glances she attracted. The room was filled with people aiming for a music career at LME, and it was unusual that a girl, just barely out of her teens, would come and audition for the exact same thing.

She had never missed Ririka's presence as much as she did right now, her comforting presence as well as her whispers had always helped.

Shutting her eyes, she took a deep breath as the memories of similar incidents that happened when she was Lala surfaced in her mind's eye.

"Everybody, please gather around."

Reopening them and taking a look around the room, Miho walked towards the crowd of people gathered around a guy in his mid-thirties.

"I'm Nakazawa, the head of the Singing Section here at LME. Now, I would like to congratulate all of you here for making into the second round of auditions," At this, he gave a brief smile to all present.

"But, please understand this. Only the best out of all of you standing here before me would be able to work for LME. So give us your best performance and don't leave behind any regrets!"

"Now that everything is understood, number 18, 20, 36 and 46 please follow me."

* * *

The four of them were eventually told to wait outside of a room before they were called in, one at a time.

Miho took a deep breath, _'__It__'__ll __be __alright, __I__'__ll __be __ok__… __Miho, __you __can __do __it!__' _

Walking into the room when her number was finally called, Miho turned to face the panel of judges when one of them spoke up.

"Contestant number 46, Shinohara Miho-san. Am I right?"

She could only give a tiny nod. She was well aware of how fast her heart is beating.

"Please, take a seat Shinohara-san."

Her legs automatically moved her over to the chair.

"Thank you," Miho mumbled softly as she took a seat.

One of the judges leant forward and asked the first question, "Now, Shinohara-san, what made you choose the song 'Transparence' as the song to perform during the first round?"

'_Because __that __was __my __song. __The __first __and __final __song __I__'__ve __ever __performed __as __Fancy __Lala.__' _Was the first thing that came to mind, but she couldn't possibly gave such as answer.

Miho opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out as the numerous reasons that flashed through her head would never be accepted by those in front of her.

Her eyes showed signs of panic as she tried to find an answer to give.

It was at this point that the President cut in and asked a question of his own, "Shinohara-san, you are still young. And the contract offered at the end of this audition would most likely put an end to whatever childhood you have left. So tell me… why did you participate in this audition?"

'… _I want to—'_

"I want to perform in front of an audience," Miho spoke, voice confident and the panic she felt earlier seemingly never existed.

'_Ms Haneishi, Ririka, Miki-san… Everyone—'_

"I want my singing to not only be heard, but also felt by those around me."

Takarada Lory leant forward as the girl before him seems to grow more confident with each word spoken; the determination that practically _radiated_ from the girl reminded him of eerily of a golden-eyed female that he had taken under his wing.

" I want to be known, that I am—" _'__Fancy __Lala__'_ "—Shinohara Miho."

Miho's fists were clenched tightly as she spoke the last sentence.

How she wished she could shout out to the world that she was Fancy Lala. How she wished she could, somehow, repay those who helped nurture and guided Lala all those years ago.

0o0o0o0o0

A/N: This marks the end of the three-shot prologue for the Fancy Lala/Skip Beat! fanfic that I planned. A sequel - longer fic - will be written, although, I can't make any guarantees as to when I'll start posting those up.

Many thanks to: Le loup de Kaiser, Sharmaine C, RoxasIsReal13, A midsummer night's dream for reviewing!


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